This Special Day
by Sting4052
Summary: March 15 was a special day. We sort of got to see Shandy get engaged. I wanted to see more than we were shown so I wrote more, and then I kept going into the future. This story examines March 15, every year from 2017 to 2021. My beta is busy having fun, so all mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy my speculation, and thanks for reading.
1. March 15

**March 15, 2017**

Sharon glances at the digital clock on the bedside table. It's 11:57 p.m. _There's only three minutes left in this special day_ , she thinks to herself. This is the day her former adversary became her fiancé. Lying on her side, she can feel Andy's bare chest glued to her naked back. He has an arm around her waist. His legs are tangled in hers. He's sleeping soundly. She's awake and smiling in the dark. Using her thumb to twirl the diamond on the ring finger of her left hand around and around, she can't quite believe she's once again engaged, and on this of all days. Andy didn't know the significance of the date. March 15, 1983 was the day she married Jack Raydor. Today would've been their 34th wedding anniversary. If Jack had been the man she thought he was thirty-four years ago, he would've been in bed with her now. Instead, the man who slowly won her heart with his sly grin, sarcastic wit, devastating charm, and compassionate eyes is curled around her, snoring softly. They are ending the day the same way they started the day. She stops twirling her new engagement ring around her finger and closes her eyes. Before drifting to sleep, she prays they will have many, many more special days together.

 **March 15, 2018**

It's 11:57 a.m. on a beautiful, California day full of sunshine. Sharon looks across the lawn at her husband who is standing by the grill laughing and talking with Provenza and Patrice. Andy has no idea she is studying him. She can't take her eyes off him in his t-shirt and jeans. Earlier in the day, she watched him enter their bedroom after taking a shower. Digging in the dresser drawer, he found the black t-shirt he wanted and slipped it on over his head. She snickered when she noticed he'd messed up his hair.

"What's so funny?"

"You are," she answered. "You're also handsome." Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his slightly damp, silver hair. He looked down at her with that smile on his face. That smile that did funny things to her. At that moment, she wanted to skip the cookout and take him back to bed. No matter how tempting, they couldn't miss the first anniversary of Julio becoming Mark's dad. It's a special occasion, and Sharon loves to celebrate special occasions.

They are hosting a party in the backyard of their newly purchased home. She and Andy have given Mark a football as a gift. He loves it, and is tossing it back and forth with Julio. She can hear Mark laugh when Julio fumbles the football. Reluctantly shifting her eyes away from her husband, she watches the kid tackle his dad who falls on the grass and pretends to be injured. Hearing their voices and seeing the smiles on both their faces reminds her that life isn't all about criminals, dead bodies, and solving mysteries. It's also about spending time with special people and observing special days.

Walking across the yard with a glass of lemonade for her husband, who is grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, she prays Mark and Julio will have many, many more happy, carefree, and special occasions to spend together.

 **March 15, 2019**

Sharon catches her husband's eyes. He looks scared. She wants to give him a comforting hug, but she can't get to him across the crowded waiting room. Her team members keep stopping her to tell her what happened in the Murder Room. She wasn't there when Provenza slumped over his crossword puzzle. She had been in the middle of a meeting with her boss, Assistant Chief Mason, when she got the call from Andy. His voice sounded shaky on the phone. She promised him she'd get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Cutting Tao off mid-sentence, she says, "Please tell me Provenza is okay."

"We haven't heard anything. The doctor came out here a few minutes ago and got Patrice. That's all I know," Tao says.

She's finally near Andy when her phone rings. Ignoring it, she reaches for him. They hold each other, and she speaks softly in his ear. "He's going to be okay. I just know he's going to be okay."

Hugging her tightly to him, Andy breathes deeply before releasing her. Looking in her eyes, he says, "I'm not so sure."

Opening her mouth to reassure him, she's not able to get a word out before her phone rings again. She answers without looking to see who is calling. It's Rusty. He has listened to the message Andy left on his phone, and he's in a panic to find out about Provenza. She tells him the little she knows, and reminds him to drive safely on his way to the hospital. Slipping her phone back in her pocket, she puts her arm around Andy and steers him to two empty chairs against the wall. He reaches for her hand as soon as they sit down. She listens as he tells her what happened. "I used his printer, but I didn't have any money on me so I told him I'd pay later," Andy explains. "He looked at me and started to grumble. I told him to stop complaining and stop charging me because he ought to be paying me for putting up with him." Sharon smiles at her husband, and urges him to continue. "I expected him to argue some more, but he just looked at me. The side of his mouth was droopy. He was trying to talk, but nothing was coming out. He had a weird look on his face." Sharon squeezes Andy's hand, and prays he and his best friend will have many, many more opportunities to argue with each other in the future.

 **March 15, 2020**

Sharon and Andy are back in the hospital, but this time it's for a happy reason. She loves the look on his face as he stares down at the healthy baby girl in his arms. His baby girl has just handed him her daughter wrapped in a soft blanket. He unwraps the blanket, and studies his grandchild with a look of wonder on his face. Stroking the baby's silky cheek, he looks up at his wife with tears in his eyes. "Look at her dark hair," he says. "My hair used to be that color." Sharon grins at him before she leans over, touches the baby's toes, and says hello to the newest family member.

Nicole had trouble conceiving. She and Dean had almost given up hope when she finally got pregnant. Due to preeclampsia, her pregnancy was high risk. Andy worried so much about his daughter's blood pressure his own blood pressure became a concern. They could put all that behind them on this special day; Sarah's birthday.

Stirring in his arms, Sarah blinks her eyes several times before waking up. Andy kisses the tip of her tiny nose. When he looks up, he has a funny look on his face. Sharon asks, "What's wrong?"

"I think someone needs a diaper change," he says.

Nicole starts laughing and says, "Hand her to me, Dad. I'll do it."

"No. You rest," he replies. "I got this. I changed your diapers plenty of times."

Sharon hands Andy the baby wipes and a clean diaper before asking Nicole where Dean and the boys are.

"They went to the cafeteria. They were starving."

"I bet the boys are excited about their baby sister," Sharon says.

"Oh, you can't even imagine. They've been bouncing off the walls," Nicole replies.

Looking over at Andy, Sharon can see he is struggling with what to do with the dirty diaper. She takes it from him, walks across the room, and tosses it in the trash. Stopping to wash her hands, she pauses when she turns from the sink to look at Nicole who is looking at her father and daughter with so much love on her face. Sharon appreciates the special moment she's witnessing. She prays there will be many, many more special moments for the three generations of family she is proud to be part of.

 **March 15, 2021**

Patrice and Provenza have been seated at Serve for about fifteen minutes. They've ordered drinks and an appetizer, but they're waiting for Sharon and Andy to arrive before ordering dinner. Their friends are running late. Sharon is exasperated and apologetic when she and Andy finally get to the table. Provenza isn't really irritated, but he acts like it as he glares at Andy and says, "The last couple to get here is the couple who gets to pay the bill."

Andy just smirks at his buddy before kissing Patrice on the cheek. Sharon makes a big show of giving Provenza a hug and says, "Of course, we're going to pay. This is your night. We're celebrating two years of your good health." Provenza makes a show of shrugging off her hug which makes her smile. She'd never tell him, but she misses him around the office since his retirement.

Patrice says, "Can you believe it's been two years since that horrible day?"

Andy doesn't like to think about the day he watched Provenza have a stroke in the Murder Room. Provenza fully recovered, thanks to clot-busting medication, but Andy is uncomfortable talking about it so he looks at his friend and says, "I can't believe it's been two years since you've had to work for a living, not that you ever did that much work to start with."

Rolling his eyes at Andy, Provenza replies, "Well, let me tell you, retirement ain't all it's cracked up to be." Pausing to point at Patrice, he continues, "This one here has plenty of projects for me around the house."

They spend the rest of the evening eating, laughing, and talking. It's late by the time Sharon and Andy return home. It had been a busy day. After work, they'd gone to Sarah's first birthday party before meeting their friends at their favorite restaurant. Climbing into bed a few minutes before midnight, Andy spoons against Sharon with his chest glued to her back. He drapes his arm around her waist, kisses her neck under her ear, and whispers, "Today was a special day. I love you."

She says, "Yes, it was. I love you, too."

She's always been jealous of his ability to go to sleep right away. She's never able to do that no matter how tired she is. Unable to calm her mind and turn her thoughts off, she begins to twirl the diamond on the ring finger of her left hand. That's when she remembers it's been exactly five years since Andy slipped the ring on her finger. She can't believe she almost forgot. Before drifting to sleep, she doesn't forget to pray they will have many, many more special days together.


	2. Ordinary Can Be Special Too

This chapter leans toward a more mature rating. Be aware if that's not your thing.

 ** _Sometimes ordinary can be special too._**

 **June 3, 2018**

The bedroom was too warm even with the French doors, leading to the patio, ajar. There was no breeze. Andy didn't want to get out of bed to turn on the air conditioning. He sat up, unbuttoned and removed his pajama top, dropped it on the floor, and pushed the covers away to cool off. Settling back down next to Sharon, who was already asleep, he thought he heard thunder rumble in the distance. It occurred to him it would be a good idea to close the doors in case it rained, but he was too comfortable to get up.

Later in the night, thunder woke him. He sensed Sharon wasn't in bed. Lightning flashed. He saw her by the open doors. Her nightgown billowed in the wind. He could hear rain falling. Anticipating she'd shut the doors and get back in bed, he closed his eyes and let his mind drift to how he could keep her awake for the rest of the night. Another loud crack of thunder interrupted the stillness. His eyes popped open in search of her. She was standing at the doors with her back to him. There was enough moonlight streaming in for him to see the contours of her body through the thin fabric draping her silhouette. His eyes slowly slid from the outline of her left shoulder to her right shoulder, reminding him of earlier when they'd first gone to bed. He'd been propped on an elbow looking down at her. Laying on her stomach, with her head tilted toward him, she told him good night. He was listening, but he was distracted by her shoulder blades made more prominent with the way her arms were crossed under the pillow her head rested on. Her hair and nightgown covered most of her back, but he could see the valley between each shoulder blade. He wanted nothing more than to dip the tip of his finger in the hollow space. In the dim lighting from the lamp on the bedside table, he couldn't see the pale freckles scattered across the creamy skin he was staring at, but he knew they existed. He'd tasted them before. She'd stopped talking. Dragging his eyes away from her enticing back, he watched her eyes close. He turned off the lamp and closed his eyes.

She was awake now, and standing between the open French doors inhaling deeply. She'd always loved the smell of rain. She was tempted to go outside, but it was raining hard. She heard Andy get out of bed and turn on the lamp. Knowing exactly what he'd do, she wasn't surprised to feel his arms wrap around her from behind. Resting her hands atop his at her waist, she leaned her head back in the crook of his neck. They stood that way without a word until the thunder and lightning resumed.

"It's not a good idea to stand here with all this lightning," Andy said.

She turned, placed a hand on each of his shoulders, looked in his eyes and said, "I know but kiss me first."

He was surprised to feel moisture on her face when his cheek grazed hers. Brushing raindrops from her skin with his lips, he felt her shiver. It briefly ran through his mind that she must be cold from the rain. He tightened his arms around her. She wasn't cold. Her body was reacting to the gentleness in him. In certain situations, he was quick to anger and even aggressive depending on the circumstances, but over the years as his animosity toward her gradually turned to respect, friendship, and finally love, he allowed his instinctive tenderness for her to be fully present. Her hands moved up to the back of his neck. His lips moved over hers, hovering there. At that moment, he didn't care if he got struck by lightning as long as she continued to massage the back of his head with her fingers. He nipped at her lips before sucking her lower lip into his mouth. Using her thumbs, she grazed the shell of his ears. He bit down gently before releasing her lip. Lightning flashed, the lamp went off, and they pulled apart.

Sharon returned to their bed while he closed the doors. As soon as he climbed in next to her, she curled against him, resting her head above his heart. His arm went around her. He loved the feeling of her hair on his bare chest. She hadn't cut it in a long time because she knew he liked it long. She laid the palm of her hand next to her face on his chest. Flexing her fingers, she lightly scratched his skin. He ghosted the tip of his index finger up and down the valley between her shoulder blades. He was aroused and aching for her to move her hand down. Wondering if she knew she was making him hard, he asked if she was sleepy.

"No," she said, drawing the word out suggestively. That's all it took for them to spend most of the rest of the night not sleeping.

They fell asleep about an hour before the rain ended at dawn. It was Saturday. They didn't have to get up and go to work. Rusty was spending the weekend with Gus. When Andy finally woke up, the lamp was back on, and the digital clock next to it was blinking with the wrong time. He had no idea of the correct time. It didn't matter. Quietly turning off the lamp, he tried to go back to sleep, but his mind was full of images from their night. When he closed his eyes, he pictured her face inches above him, her eyes closed tightly, her brow furrowed in concentration, and her hair falling around her shoulders, swaying against his skin. _God_ , he thought, _she's beautiful_. But watching her enjoying her body as she moved on top of him was something beyond beautiful. Something no words could describe. He only knew it made his heart feel full, and he was happier than he ever thought possible.

He wasn't aware she was awake next to him. Her eyes were closed, but her mind was active. She was doing the same thing he was doing: fantasizing about their night. She pictured the top of his head. The silver in his hair seemed incandescent in the moonlight. He was peppering soft kisses between her breasts. Her hands moved into his hair. She was surprised by the soft sounds she was involuntarily producing. The noises made him look up at her and smile. She smiled back. She could've never imagined this would be her life. Sharing her bed with Andy Flynn. Sharing her life with him – the ordinary, mundane things like grocery shopping and the not-so-ordinary things like solving the mystery of how a body ended up in a tree.

If they didn't catch a murder, they had the whole day to themselves with no particular plans. They needed to do some laundry. He thought he might go get a haircut. She contemplated cleaning out her side of the closet. His side was meticulous with dress shirts and slacks hanging from wooden hangers, shoes lined up (toes pointing out) on the built-in shelving. He'd created a special spot for his suspenders next to his ties. Everything was color-coded. She was a little self-conscious about her messy side of the large walk-in closet. He liked to kid her about it. They had talked about maybe going to see a movie that evening. Wiggling closer to his side, she opened her eyes to see if he was awake. Her movement made him open his eyes and look at her. Their eyes met. No words were needed. They smiled at each other, ready to get out of bed and spend their ordinary day together.

 **TBC**


	3. Looking At Love

This chapter was inspired, in part, by the wonderful story entitled _Here's Looking at You_ by lissianne. Also, Rusty deserves a shout-out for his devotion to Cheez-It crackers on Major Crimes. Ain't nothin' wrong with a little product placement every now and then.

 **Sometimes you just need to take a sick day.**

 **November 8, 2018**

Andy was buttoning the bottom button of his dress shirt when Sharon entered their bedroom from the bathroom. Looking up from the button, he felt a sharp stab in his neck. He'd have to remember never to spend another night on the couch. She was already dressed for work. "No. Absolutely not," he said. She rolled her eyes at him and kept walking. "You are not going to work today," he proclaimed.

"Yes, I am," she said. He didn't hear her from the other side of the room because she couldn't talk above a whisper.

"You're feverish, and you have no business being out of bed. Besides, I don't want to listen to Provenza bitch about you spreading germs," Andy said. Sharon walked around the bed, headed for the door, but she faltered and swayed a bit before sinking down to the mattress. Approaching her, he said, "That's it. You're staying home." He kneeled in front of her and removed her high heels. Staring at the top of his head, she shrugged out of her blazer and flopped back on the bed. He chuckled and sat down next to her.

She croaked, "Get away from me. I have germs."

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure I'm immune to your germs by now."

Sitting up, she weakly attempted to shove him off the bed but he didn't budge. Reaching for her hands, he said, "I'll stay home and we can play doctor."

"Andy, we can't both call in sick. One of us needs to babysit your best friend."

He knew she was right, but he would've liked nothing more than to stay and take care of her. Due to a deep, persistent cough she'd gotten very little sleep. Not wanting to wake him, she'd moved from their bed to the couch at some point in the night. It hadn't mattered because her cough woke him all the way from the living room where he discovered her watching _Casablanca_ with the volume muted. She was surrounded by used tissues, nose spray, a bottle of Nyquil, two empty bottles of water, an opened box of Cheez-It crackers, and a pile of pillows and blankets. Not aware her husband had entered the room, she threw another tissue on the coffee table, and stuck her hand in the box of crackers.

"Rusty is going to be mad if you contaminate that entire box," said Andy.

Startled at the sound of his voice, she dropped the crackers. "You scared me. I thought you were asleep."

"I was until your coughing woke me up." Andy bent over, picked the crackers off the floor, walked into the kitchen, and threw them in the trash. Halfway back to the living room, he turned around, walked back into the kitchen, and grabbed the trash can. "You didn't eat much dinner. Are you hungry?" he asked as he raked the used tissues and water bottles off the coffee table into the trash can.

From her prone position on the couch, she said, "Kind of."

Turning to look at her, he couldn't help but smile. She was a mess. Half her hair was pulled back in a sloppy ponytail with the other half hanging mostly in her face. Her glasses were crooked. Her nose was red, and her lips were smudged with cheesy cracker crumbs. She was wearing thick socks, and her favorite heavy, flannel robe – the one that had a stain on the collar and a rip on the shoulder, but she wouldn't dream of throwing it away because it was so warm and comfortable. She didn't even remotely resemble the sleek, authoritative woman who ran the Major Crimes division of the LAPD.

"Don't go anywhere," he said. "I'll be right back."

"I don't have the energy to get off this couch."

When he returned from the kitchen with a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup and another bottle of water, she was propped up on the couch watching Humphrey Bogart kiss Ingrid Bergman. He handed her the soup. "Are you supposed to feed a cold and starve a fever, or is it the other way around?" she asked.

"I have no idea," he said. Joining her on the couch, he lifted her feet and placed them in his lap. "Are you warm enough?"

"Not really."

After draping one of the blankets over them, he sat back to watch TV. He didn't really care about the movie; he'd seen it at least three times. It was just an excuse to be with her. They were seldom awake and alone at the same time. Almost always surrounded by others at work, and Rusty at home, he appreciated having her all to himself even if she was sick. The opportunity to take care of her, instead of the other way around, was a rare occurrence.

Blowing on the soup to cool it before taking a tentative sip, she made a face and wrinkled her sore nose.

"What's wrong? I know it's out of a can, but it's still pretty good."

"Nothing's wrong. I just wish I could taste it. I'm so stopped up. I can't taste or smell anything," she said as she leaned over to set the bowl on the coffee table next to the Nyquil.

"Can I get you something else?"

Picking up the box of Cheez-It, she said, "No thanks. Nothing sounds good right now except for these."

Under the blanket, his fingers began massaging her feet through the silly socks she was wearing. He remembered how she'd laughed when Rusty presented the socks to her on Mother's Day in an elaborately wrapped box. When Andy first saw the long, narrow box, he'd assumed it was a necklace, and was a little embarrassed Rusty had given her a better present than the roses he'd bought her. After unwrapping the box, Sharon opened the lid to reveal socks covered in cherubic angels. After laughing in delight, she gave Rusty a big hug. Andy could tell by her shiny eyes how much the inexpensive, but sweet gift meant to her, and he was proud of the kid for taking the time and effort to find a gift based on something he knew she'd like, and not just picking up an impersonal gift at the corner drugstore.

Turning from Rusty, she gave Andy a hug and thanked him for the flowers. "I'm not your mother. You didn't have to get me anything for Mother's Day," she said.

"You're not my mother, but you are a great mother and I love you." He was confused when he saw a sad look cross her face for just a moment, but she tried to hide her feelings by walking into the kitchen to find a vase for the flowers.

Later that night in bed, he'd asked her what had made her sad. She was reluctant to open old wounds, but he persisted. She told him Jack seldom acknowledged special days like Mother's Day even when their kids were small and they were still a relatively happy family. She'd always felt it was important to remember special occasions, and she lavished attention and gifts on her husband, especially on his birthday and Father's Day. As the years went by, and Jack sank deeper into his addictions, he didn't even pretend to care about special occasions. Most of the time, he wasn't even physically present. As a grown woman, Sharon had learned to harden her heart and expect nothing, but it hurt her terribly to think her children were missing out. For years, she concocted stories to explain to her son and daughter why their father wasn't at their dance recital, or Little League baseball game, or birthday party. She didn't think of it as lying; she thought of it as protecting their feelings. By the time each of her children reached puberty, they asked her to stop covering for their father because it was of no importance to them. Pausing to collect her thoughts, and exhale a deep breath, she told Andy her children assured her that her love had been enough for them. Her voice was shaky when she said it, and tears sprang up in her eyes. He thought his heart would break for her when she revealed what her children had said. Andy couldn't fathom ever doing anything to cause her more pain than she'd already endured. He'd never understand why Jack treated his family with such disregard. Andy knew there were times he had been as bad a husband and father as Jack, but he'd spent a lot of time and effort making up for his mistakes. He'd vowed to himself to be the best husband to Sharon he could be, and the best father to the children, his and hers, he could be. It was also important to him to be there for the grandchildren he'd gained when his daughter had married a man with children. Being a grandfather had been an unexpected joy and he hoped to have many more grandkids in the future.

Bored with the movie, he looked away from the TV to her. She had fallen asleep. The opportunity to study her beautiful face without her knowledge was another rare occurrence. She looked soft and tender. Andy knew how soft and tender she actually was underneath the hard veneer she projected to the world. She hadn't had a choice in her line of work. Jack hadn't given her a choice either. She'd been forced to get tough when his drinking and then his gambling had grown out of control. Andy still found it remarkable how a woman who so loved rules and order at work had been married to a man who, for the most part, broke all the rules and contributed very little besides disorder to her life. Andy understood Sharon's Catholic faith provided the rules and order she sought for herself outside of work hours.

During the day, they'd been in the middle of investigating the murder of a high-profile, married bank executive and her lover. Per usual, Provenza stated, "It's always the husband." Andy had caught Sharon's eye and smirked in his normal fashion. That's when he noticed her face was flushed, and she didn't have the usual sparkle in her eyes. He knew she wouldn't want him to make a fuss in front of the team. Waiting until she left the Murder Room, he followed her into her office. "Are you okay? You don't look so hot."

Sitting down behind her desk, she didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached for a tissue and sneezed loudly before saying, "I have a headache." Their conversation ended abruptly when the phone on her desk rang. He left her office, and headed to the breakroom to prepare her favorite tea before stopping at his desk to get two Tylenol out of the drawer. She was still on the phone when he returned to her office and put the tea and Tylenol in front of her. She looked at him and mouthed a thank you before he went back to work.

Late in the afternoon, cleaning off the Murder Board with his back to the room, he heard her tell Provenza, "Looks like you were right this time." She sounded completely devoid of energy. Turning to look at her, he had to conceal his concern because she looked as if she might wilt. No one else seemed to notice. They were filling out paperwork, preparing to call it a day.

"Hey, don't sound so surprised," Provenza replied. "I'm right more often than not." Exchanging incredulous looks and a few sarcastic remarks with each other, the team had a good laugh before leaving for the day.

As they were headed home, Andy said, "Why don't we run you by the clinic first? I think you need to see a doctor."

"No, I just want to get home, take a hot bath, and go to bed."

Andy prepared dinner while she soaked in the tub. Rusty was busy studying in his room. He joined them at the dining room table when dinner was ready. Sharon had no appetite, but she took a few bites of ravioli in appreciation of Andy's efforts. After dinner, Rusty helped Andy clean up in the kitchen before heading to his room for more studying. Sharon headed to bed. Andy watched TV for a while before joining his wife in bed. He hadn't been asleep long when her coughing from the living room woke him.

The following morning, Rusty discovered them asleep on the couch when he went to the kitchen to pour a bowl of cereal. They'd fallen asleep before Humphrey Bogart watched Ingrid Bergman get on the plane and fly away. Turning off the TV, Rusty turned and looked at the two people he lived with – his family. He hadn't liked either of them when he met them. He hadn't liked himself in those days. With little opportunity to experience much love in his life before meeting Sharon, he didn't even know what love was back then, but so much had changed. He now knew love and he knew that's what he was looking at when he saw the couple on the couch.

 **TBC**


End file.
